1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electronic acupuncture device and system so as to provide noninvasive acupuncture diagnosis and treatment for a patient, and to a method of measuring, analyzing and balancing meridian energy levels of a patient so as to provide noninvasive acupuncture treatment for the patient.
2. Description of Related Art
Although few in the western hemisphere understand acupuncture, western medicine is waking up to its benefits. In general, acupuncture may be described as managing the body's life energy, or Chi, by redirecting the body's energy through a series of points on the body that form lines called meridians. Meridians map loosely to internal organs, providing another perspective from which to view acupuncture's benefits. Although theories disagree as to how the body transfers Chi across meridians, empirical evidence to its efficacy is overwhelming.
By studying thousands of years of predominantly Chinese medicine, acupuncturists know the locations of acupuncture points and how to insert needles into these points, known as energy meridian points, in order to govern Chi flow. Western medicine has verified the existence of many energy meridian points by measuring the high electrical conductivity at these points.
In the early 1950's, a Japanese doctor applied the conductivity principle in inventing the Ryodoraku protocol, a quick and simplified methodology of reaping many of acupuncture's benefits with electricity. Dr. Yoshio Nakatani noted areas of altered electrical conductivity on the skin of patients with various diseases. These areas were found to be points of approximately 1 cm diameter, generally in lines following the classical Chinese acupuncture meridians. Because these points offered increased electrical conductance, he named these points “ryodoraku” (ryo=good, do=(electro) conductive, raku=line.)
Dr. Nakatani refined his procedures to encompass both diagnosis and treatment. Diagnosis was performed with an electrical instrument measuring electrical conductivity of the skin. By measuring the conductivity of each energy meridian, energetic excesses and deficiencies could be located. Treatment consisted of stimulating specific acupuncture points to either “tonify” a deficient meridian, or “sedate” an excessive meridian. An additional set of acupuncture points was used to balance meridians that showed significant energetic differences between the right and left sides of the body. Thus, in general, a simple form of the Ryodoraku technique treats multiple conditions by balancing the body's Chi across its twelve (12) major or main energy meridians: heart, pericardium, lung, triple heater (San Jiao), large intestine, small intestine, kidney, bladder, gall bladder, spleen, stomach and liver.
Prior art electronic acupuncture units are typically bulky, involve little or no automation, and exhibit no voltage control. The prior art electronic acupuncture devices are little more than a power source having either a voltage that tapers to zero, which sacrifices diagnosis accuracy, or a voltage below those recommended by Ryodoraku, and a memory which typically stores inaccurate conductivity readings. Users typically must plot the diagnosis by hand prior to rendering any kind of treatment.
A prior art acupuncture device by Miridia Technologies known as the AcuGraph® incorporates a software package that runs on a user's personal computer (PC), and uses electronic hardware powered by and attached to the PC. However, the electronic hardware attached to the AcuGraph® is incapable of providing accurate Ryodoraku diagnosis voltages because it draws power at approximately five (5) volts from a computer's Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, but incorporates no circuitry to boost the voltage to the twelve (12) volts called for in the Ryodoraku diagnosis. Although the AcuGraph® uses an algorithm to normalize its readings as if they were taken at the correct voltage, the AcuGraph® is incapable of administering proper diagnosis voltage to the user, introducing the potential for deviation from the Ryodoraku protocol. In addition, the AcuGraph® is not designed for and cannot produce the higher voltages required for administering needle-free treatment, and thus serves only as a diagnostic tool.
Further, diagnosing the acupuncture meridians is typically difficult for many practitioners. This is because the traditional methods for doing so, such as pulse diagnosis, are complex and typically require decades to master.